UNDER ARGENTINIAN SKIES

Yesterday, I climbed Cerro (Mount Piltriquitron), which is supposedly where one of the energy meridian lines transect the earth.  I hiked up the road 4.5 km before hitching up the other 6.5 km to the trailhead.  The trail climbs high up through flowers with brilliant crimson red flowers then continues up through forests consisting of trees that resemble Douglas Firs with the same bark, but has deciduous leaves instead of pine needles.  It continues several kilometers up to a refugio, where one can buy mate, cerveza, coffee, soda, pizza, sandwiches or empanadas.  The refugio serves as a resting place and you can also camp there.  It lies a little less than half way up to the summit and has a balcony surrounding it.  The trail continues up to the saddle between Piltriquitron and another unknown mountain and then climbs up through snowfields leading to the rocky-ice covered rimy summit.  There were several inches of snow on the top.  The summit is not super tall but is 2260 m or around 8,000 ft. It is much taller than many surrounding peaks except Tronador which is over 70 miles away.  Over looking the valley you can see into Chile and as far north as Mt. Tronodor above Bariloche which is one of the highest peaks in the area.  The surrounding valley below remindes me of the Bitterroot valley just south of Missoula with similar glacially shaped jagged peaks and where Piltriquitron lies is like the Sapphire range, but only much bigger.  I could see mountains in every direction as far as the eye could see.  Lots of snow still lingering in the high country.

(2011 Summer Solstice Stashe)

I thought I turned red under Montana skies, but here under Argentinian skies my skin is going to turn crimson.  Talking to many of the locals they say there is no ozone layer here or the hole is incredibly large.  The sun has definitely baked me the days it finds pockets to shine through or when there is not a cloud in the sky.

I met a Sweedish couple and a Danish couple at the top of the mountain who know little spanish and hitchhiked throughout Chile and are continuing up through Argentina.  I have also met three ecologists staying at my current hostel who are from the Netherlands on vacation.  Another guy from the Bay area originally who now lives in Seattle and his name is Elan.  Tonight in our hostel we will be celebrating Christmas and are slow cooking a whole lamb on the barbecue.  Tonight´s fiesta will definitely last into the morning hours.  They shut down the streets of the main town to celebrate life.  I hear after everyone gets nicely buzzed everybody takes bus rides out to Lago Puelo and jumps into the glacially cold waters to rejuvenate and sober up.